Tomlinson truck drivers protest for increased pay

About 15 truck drivers who work at Tomlinson protested on Thursday because they want increased pay from the Public Works Corporation.

The drivers who were tasked with delivering asphalt to various parts of the country say they were deliberately going at snail’s pace to push their point.

Their grouse is about what they said was a deliberate attempt by the government to undermine their efforts.

“We have been working for years and haven’t received an increase. But we see some newcomers are getting more money than us. That cannot be fair,” Rolston Joseph, a taxi driver said.

He explained the truck drivers are hoping that Thursday’s action will put pressure on the authorities to pay heed to their call for a better pay.

“We really don’t want to be the ones to hold back progress in the country but they need to see how serious we are. We cannot just let things go on the way it is,” Joseph added.

The raise that Joseph is talking about is “truck pay”. It is an increase in pay of about EC $600 fortnightly.

“Some people just come and getting truck pay and we will continue to take action until we get that pay. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If the just come can get, the old come can get too,” he said.

These truck drivers did not get approval by their union, the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) – to stage today’s protest.

The President of the AT&LU Wrigley George could not be reached for comments on the matter.